CRIPT 6th International Primary School Design & Technology

Abstract

It is ten years since CRIPT was established and we held the
first International Primary Design and Technology
Conference in Birmingham. Since then, we have hosted
the conferences biennially and we are delighted to be able
to host this sixth conference
June 29th – July 3rd 2007. Colleagues from every
continent have joined in sharing their research and
curriculum development work through the many and
varied papers presented, and the Conference Proceedings
have become a major source of information for those
engaged in the development and implementation of the
subject worldwide. CRIPT has always subscribed to the
notion of the importance of the inter-relationship between
theory and practice, and ensured that this was adhered to
throughout the conference. CRIPT has continued to place
papers into two sections – research and curriculum
development, and as in 2005, there were presentations by
children involved in a design challenge, set by Sebastian
Conran, and in work on Sustainability.
In the two intervening years since the last conference, it
appears that the focus of work illustrated by the papers is
now on review and consolidation of policy and practice
rather than the introduction of the subject into new
countries. The papers mainly reflect the work of individuals
or small groups working on and researching particular
aspects of implementation both in school and in Initial
Teacher Education. Designing is certainly one theme that
emerged at both this and previous conferences, and is an
area that still needs to be explored in greater depth to
ensure children are given appropriate opportunities to
develop their critical and creative thinking skills.